I Am Beowulf
by JeanaStar
Summary: A short story that takes place during the major battle Beowulf VS Grendal's Mother. Will Beowulf be able to defeat the beast, or will he fall at the hands of Grendal's Mother?


**I Am Beowulf **

Want to know what bugs me? Evil. Everything horridly, disgustingly evil. Even the word itself is horrible.

The thing is, I had just defeated Grendel - that huge, freaking, murderous monster that terrorized King Hrothgar's kingdom - and everyone is celebrating my victory. And the next thing I know, Grendel's Mother comes along and kills the king's best friend. And then she stole my trophy - Grendel's arm. Now, guess what that means? I have to fight another monster. Darn.

I'm not in the mood for another fight. I was just starting to relax. But it seems that heroes are just not allowed to settle down. Once again, I had to get ready for battle.

I put on a suit of armor made to make sure that a blade would never strike my body, take the enchanted sword Hrunting - which, by the way, has never failed anyone, and head out to the swamp of Grendel's Mother.

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It's takes a while, but I finally reach the swamp. I take one last look behind me. A group of men - including King Hrothgar - are there to wish me luck. They tell me to be careful. I wave to them, saying that everything would be fine. I would make it back safely. I then turned to face the murky water, and dived in.

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I've been swimming for a long time now. Not sure how long - hours, a day, maybe even a week. And I'm not tired at all. Heh. I even surprise myself sometimes, what with my superhuman abilities and all.

Now I know I told the king and everyone that I would be fine. But I can't tell the future. I'm not sure if I'll make it through this. Now, I'm not saying that I'm not going to try. A hero _always_ tries his best. But the farther down I swim, the more I worry that I could die. I try to push the ugly thoughts away, but they keep surfacing back to my mind. I ignore the voice in my head telling me that my life is going to end just as I reach the lake bottom.

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I have now reached the lair of the beast. Fitting name, really, since that's what Grendel's Mother is. A beast.

I swim downward, almost touching the bottom. _Almost._ And would you guess what happened next?

Grendel's Mother snatches me up, taking me by surprise.

I try to wriggle myself out of the monster's grip, but it's no use. The She-Devil then takes me deeper into her lair. The other monsters that are around claw and growl at me, wishing me dead. Grendel's Mother throws me down. and the battle begins. I slash Hrunting at her, going for the head. The blade does nothing, and she laughs, taunting me with that wicked smile. I throw the useless sword to the ground, and use my fists instead. The beast counters my every move. My strength is_ nothing_ compared to hers.

She thinks I'm weak. I see it in her eyes as she pushes me down, raising her clawed fingers for the final blow. I shut my eyes tightly. I'm sure it's the end for me.

But then, something amazing happens.

Her claws don't pierce my skin. I'm confused for a moment, but then I remember.

Chainmail. I'm wearing _chainmail._

A material that nothing can cut through.

As the Mother of Grendel strikes at me, roaring in anger, I look up. And you wouldn't believe what I saw.

It was the legendary sword that no human could wield.

But I'm not like any other human.

I rolled away from the monster, jumped up, and grabbed the large sword that hung from the wall. I'm stunned._ I can lift it._

In one deft movement, I swing the sword as hard as I can, a loud _swoosh_ sounding out. And with that one slice, the head of Grendel's Mother is rolling on the ground.

You don't know how I felt at that moment. How_ good_ it felt to be victorious when just minutes ago, I was just loosing the battle. That one moment of_ 'I'm-going-to-die'_ is swept away by the joy of defeating evil.

I laugh. I actually thought I would die.

That's not going to happen while I'm still young. Nothing can beat me.

Want to know why?

It's 'cause I'm Beowulf.

The strongest man to ever live.


End file.
